Alberta Puts $2.4M Toward Gambling-Addiction Treatment

^{Alberta has committed $2.4 million in iGaming-funded grants to expand gambling-addiction treatment, with Brick House Recovery Centre first in line. (Image: Marvin Samuel Tolentino Pineda/Alamy)} 

Alberta's government has invested $2.4 million in specialized treatment and recovery services for residents affected by gambling addiction.

Some of the money will go to Brick House Recovery Centre, which operates locations in Edmonton and Calgary and offers virtual support across the province.

The funding comes from social responsibility money tied to Alberta's regulated iGaming market, which set aside 1% of gross gaming revenue for addiction treatment and research when it launched July 13.

The province first signalled the move in August, when it sought proposals from qualified providers for coordinated outpatient and online treatment services.

Brick House Named First Recipient

Brick House Recovery Centre is the first organization to receive funding under the program.

Alberta's government said additional recipients will be selected later this fall.

Albertans seeking help can reach 211 Alberta by phone, text or chat around the clock, which connects callers to Brick House and other mental health and addiction supports.

Officials on the Funding

"Gambling can have devastating consequences for individuals and families, harming mental health, eroding relationships and losing financial security," said Rick Wilson, Alberta's minister of mental health and addiction.

Wilson said the province is ensuring Albertans have access to recovery-focused supports that help people restore stability, build resilience and achieve long-term recovery.

"This is a government that is standing up a $2.4 million grant just to get this program rolling," said Dale Nally, Alberta's minister of service and red tape reduction.

Nally told the Edmonton Journal operators, not taxpayers, will ultimately fund treatment in the province once the 1% levy accumulates, and the province wanted a program in place rather than making Albertans wait.

How the Levy Works

Alberta's iGaming Corporation currently lists 31 operators as legally licensed in the province.

The province expects to collect roughly $76 million in revenue from iGaming this year, representing a fifth of all revenue generated by its licensed sites.

Nally said Alberta's population growth, along with Ontario's iGaming revenue far outpacing early estimates, means the 1% figure will stay under review as the market matures.